LATEST OUTDOOR GUIDES
Keep up to date with the latest guides, activities and resources from Survival Guides UK. Explore new articles covering outdoor skills, survival, Scout activities, camping, navigation, knots, fire safety and practical skills.
Our latest posts are designed to help Scouts, youth groups, leaders and anyone interested in outdoor learning develop practical knowledge and confidence. From new activity ideas and survival skills to useful how-to guides, check back regularly for the latest resources.
-
Emergency Shelter Materials: What You Can Use in the Outdoors
If you ever need to make an emergency shelter outdoors, the materials you have available can make a big difference. You don’t always need specialist survival equipment. A useful shelter can sometimes be made using items already in your rucksack, combined with suitable natural materials. The important thing is knowing what each material can realistically…
-
Heat Loss in Children: What Parents and Scout Leaders Should Know
Children can become cold surprisingly quickly when spending time outdoors, particularly in cold, wet or windy conditions. For parents and Scout leaders, understanding heat loss in children is an important part of keeping outdoor activities comfortable and safe. Children may not always recognise that they are becoming cold, and they can become distracted by games…
-
How Body Position Can Affect Heat Loss Outdoors
When you’re cold outdoors, most people think about putting on another layer or finding shelter. Those are important steps, but your body position can also affect how quickly you lose heat. How you sit, stand, lie down or position yourself in relation to the wind and ground can influence your exposure to cold air and…
-
Why Wind Chill Makes Cold Weather Feel Colder
Wind chill is one of those outdoor weather terms that can be confusing at first. You might look at the forecast and see a temperature of 5°C, but then step outside into a strong wind and feel considerably colder. The temperature hasn’t actually dropped to a lower number. Instead, the wind is increasing the rate…
-
How Cold Ground Causes Heat Loss Outdoors
Cold ground can take heat away from your body surprisingly quickly. This is particularly important when camping, sitting outside, resting during a hike or dealing with an emergency situation. Even when the air temperature doesn’t seem particularly cold, contact with a cold surface can cause significant heat loss. Understanding how cold ground causes heat loss…
-
How Wind Increases Heat Loss Outdoors
Wind can make cold weather feel much harsher than the temperature alone suggests. When you’re outdoors, moving air can increase the rate at which your body loses heat. This is particularly important during hiking, camping, Scout activities and other outdoor activities where you may be exposed to the weather for long periods. Understanding how wind…
-
How to Prevent Heat Loss Outdoors
Knowing how to prevent heat loss outdoors is an important part of staying safe and comfortable in cold weather. Whether you’re hiking, camping, taking part in a Scout activity or simply spending time outside, your body is constantly losing heat to its surroundings. In mild conditions this is usually nothing to worry about, but cold…
-
How to Stay Warm Outdoors Without a Fire
Knowing how to stay warm outdoors without a fire is an important survival skill. A fire can provide warmth, but there are many situations where lighting one isn’t possible, practical or safe. You might be camping somewhere where fires aren’t permitted, caught out in poor weather, travelling without fire-lighting equipment or simply need to conserve…
-
How to Stay Warm in a Sleeping Bag: Camping Tips
Staying warm in a sleeping bag is an important part of camping, especially during colder nights in the UK. A good sleeping bag can provide excellent insulation, but simply having a warm-rated sleeping bag doesn’t guarantee a warm night’s sleep. What you wear, what you sleep on, where you camp and how you look after…
-
How to Keep Your Hands Warm Outdoors
Cold hands can make outdoor activities uncomfortable and can make simple tasks much harder. Whether you’re hiking, camping, taking part in a Scout activity or spending time outdoors in winter, knowing how to keep your hands warm is a useful practical skill. Your hands are particularly exposed to cold weather, and once they become very…
Explore Survival Guides UK
Looking for something specific? Explore our activity plans for practical outdoor sessions, take on our survival challenges, or browse our badges to discover new skills and achievements to work towards.
Whether you’re looking for Scout activities, survival skills, camping ideas, navigation resources or practical outdoor learning, explore the rest of Survival Guides UK to find your next challenge.